Claude dtjckux



G. DUCRUX.

Detaching Horses.

Patented Jan. 1, 1867.

lnventor= W Ugo wag Witnesses= ignites grates inner titre.-

CDAUDE DUCRUX, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. 1. Letters Patent No. 60,705, datedJanuary 1, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY ATTACHMENT TO GARRIAGES.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I

Be it known that I, CLAUDE DUCRUX, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and improved Safety Attachment to Carriages;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new device, wherebyawagon can beinstantaneously stopped and the horse detached therefrom, in case thelatter should try to run away. The invention consists in combining withthe detaching apparatus a brake, which is applied at the same time thatthe horse is detached. The detaching apparatus consists of anoscillating cross-bar, which is arranged directly over the commoncross-bar which is operated from the driver's seat by a vertical leveror handle. The traces or tugs of the harness are secured to pins, whichare attached to the oscillating cross-bar, and the saddle and hold-backstraps in a one-horse wagon are held by horizontal sliding-bars betweenuprights which'are attached to the thills. By pulling the aforesaidlever back, the pins which hold the traces are raised out of theirsockets in the stationary cross-bar and the traces are released, whilethe horizontal sliding-bars are also pulled back by the same movement,thus releasing the hold-back and saddle straps, andithercby completelydetaching the horse from the wagon. A downward extension of the verticallever is connected-with a brake on the hindwheels, which is alsooperated by the some movement of the lever which disengages the horse.In two-horse wagons the whifi lctrees are disengaged from the pins onthe oscillating cross-bar, instead of the traces or tugs in one-horsewagons The pole-straps in two-horse wagons are secured to and releasedby a similar horizontal sliding-rod as the saddle and hold-back strapson one-horse wagons; all other parts are the same in two-horse as theyare in one-horse wagons.

In the accompanying drawings my invention is completely illustrated- IFigure 1 being a plan or top view of a one-horse wagon, which isprovided with my improved detaching apparatus and brake. 1 i

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, taken on theline x ac, fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a portion of a side view of the disengaging apparatus.

Figure 4 is a side view of the pins by which the traces or whifiietreesare held to the wagon.-

Figure 5 is a plan or top view of the forward end of a poleof atwo-horse wagon; and

Figure 6, a side view,

Similar letters of reference-indicate like parts.

The thills A are secured to the front axle, B, of the wagon in the usualmanner. They are also connected by a cross-bar, G, as usual. To thecentre of this cross-bar is pivoted, by a pin, a, the arm 1;, which isattached to another cross-bar, D. The latter is arranged exactly on topof the lower cross-bar C. To the cross-bar D are secured pins, 0,which'are held by plates, 02, fitting" each into a groove around theupper portion of the pin, as seen in figs. 1, 3, and 4. The plates d arepivoted to the bar D, as seen in fig. 1, so that they can be thrown outof the grooves around the pins, whereby the latter are released and-maybe removed. These pins 12, when.

in place, and when the cross-bar D is down, fit into correspondingsockets in the lower cross-bar C. The bar D is also connected to thehorizontal sliding-bars, E, which are arranged on top of the thills A. Aslotted upright arm, e, which is secured to the rear end of eachsliding-bar, E, is connected to eitlierend of the cross-bar D by apin,f, as seen in fig. 3. The bars E are guided by pins, g, attached tothe thills and working inslots in the bars E, as seen in fig. 1. Thebars E connect each with two horizontal bars, F and G, which passthrough holes in the uprights gg. and hit, respectively the latter'arefirmly securedto the thills. A lever, H, is secured to the cross-bar D,and extends up, so as to be in convenient reach of the driver. The upperend or handle, h; of this lever is pivoted to the lower part, as seen,and extends down below the pivoting point. .A spring, 2', pressesagainst this lower end, asseeu in fig. 2, and thereby locks'the lever IIand cross-bar D. By pulling the lever in the direction of thearrow,.showu in fig. 2, the lower end of the handle it will bedisengaged from the spring 1, and the cross-bar D will be swung back onthe pivot a. Thereby the pins 0 will be released from the sockets, andwill let go the ends of the harness straps, which they had held, whilethe bars F and G will be pulled back farenough so as to clear the spacebetween the uprights g g and h h, respectively, thereby releasing thesaddle and hold-hack straps which were attachedto them. In two-horsewagons the whiflietrees instead of the braces; are held by anddisengaged from the pins 0, while the bars E F and G, on the thills,fall away altogether. In

- copes 2 their place a single sliding-bar, I, which is operated in amanner similar to the bars E, and which is guided within staples, K, onthe upper or lower side of the pole, engages the pole straps betweenarms I Z, which are secured to the pole S. There may be two sets ofthese arms Z Z, as shown in fig. 5. In that case the front end of thebar I is bifurcated, as seen, passing through each pair of the arms ZZ,so as ,to hold each pole strap separately. If both pole straps are to beheld between one single pair of arms ZZ, the bar I passes through them,as shown in fig. 6. An arm, m, which is secured to and extends below thecross-bar D, is connected by means of a chain, a, and bar,'o, to twoplates, K, "which are pivoted to the rear axle L, as shown by dottedlines in fig. 1. These plates K are secured each to a slotted bar, p,each of which is attached to one end of the said axle L. The brakes, M,which consist of hollow blocks, sliding on the axle L, and fitting overthe conical hub, g, of the rear wheels, N, are secured to the bar p, asseen in fig. 1. A spiral spring, 7, which is held between a staple, s,on the front axle B, and ashoulder on the bar 0, as seen in .fig. 2, hasthe tendency to press the bar 0 back, thereby releasing the brakes M,from the hubs q. Assoon as the lever H is pulled back the bar 0 ispulled forward and the brakes are applied.

Thusit is seen that by simply pulling the lever H back, the horse orhorses will be instantaneously disengaged from the wagon, while at thesame time the brake is applied to the hind wheels and the wagon stopped.The detaching apparatus as well as the brakes may be constructed on adiiierent plan from those herein described, and in respect to thecombination of the two with each other, I do not wish to confine myselfto a particular eonstructioii of either. The lever or upright bar H canbe erected upon the outside or inside of the vehicles, or at the sidesthereof, and'in joints or otherwise, as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination of a detaching apparatus with thebrakes of a vehicle, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. I claim the combination of the pins 0 with the oscillating cross-barD, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

3. The manner of securing the pins 0, to the swinging cross-bar D, bymeans of plates d, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown anddescribed.

4. I claim the combination of the brake draw-rod O, and the strap-rods FG or-I, with the oscillating crossbar D, substantially as and for thepurpose herein shown and described.

5. The combination ofthe lever H, with the cross-bar D, pins'e, andsliding-bars E F G, substantially as and for the purpose herein shownand described.

6. The combination of the sliding-bar I, with the tongue S, and theoscillating lever D, substantially as: and for the purpose herein shownand described.

7. The bars F and G, and upright arms g 5/ 7: h, or the bar I, and armsZ I. combined and operating sub-- stantially as and for the purposeherein shown and described.

8. The manner of operating the sliding-bars E, by means of slottedupright arms e, and pins), substantially as herein shown and described.

9. The combination of the spring fastening z", with the swinging-bar I),substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described. I

10. The construction of the disengaging apparatus, substantially asherein shown and described, so that. by the movement of the-lever thebraces and all the harness straps are simultaneously released, as setforth.

11. The construction of the. brakes. M, substantially as described, soas to act upon the hubs of the wheels, as set forth.

CLAUDE DUGRUX.

Witnesses:

Wu. F. McNAMARA, O. D. Menu.

